Sacrifices
by RavingNarniacAnarane
Summary: Richard knew what he was being forced to do was wrong. Wally was desperate to save him, but when the speedster and the Team are to late to help their youngest...the whole world they knew is blown to pieces. Literally. What will it take to fix Richard's mistakes? Is it time for Robin to pass the cape down?
1. Part One-1 Richard

**Hello! It's Raving here, and I've actually joined the Young Justice Community a LONG time ago, and this has been two years in the making...it's a slow start I know. But hey, its here right?**

**Just a few notes:  
This is slightly AU, meaning that Jason Todd and Timothy Drake are in this story and age's/back-stories slightly altered to match my story line. You have been warned! And YES, I do know their actually back-stories -_-**

**This is set between season one and season two. This is my take on what happened, and yes I know this is NOT what happened. **

**Lastly, I actually wrote this because of the sequel which I started first. I know crazy right? But I couldn't write that one without writing what happened first so...viola! Here's the original story.**

**The team and Wally will appear shortly, so bare with me!**

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**PART ONE~BEGINNING **

**CHAPTER ONE**

_Wayne Manor  
Gotham City  
March 24__th__ 2013  
6:59 AM_

The day had started out as a cold clear, early march morning.

Wayne Manor, sitting on its perch above Gotham, as a silent watchtower for the billionaire whom resided in there, was just beginning to wake up. For Bruce Wayne did not live alone with his butler anymore as he once had. Instead, if one were curious enough, or rather brave enough, to enter the manor; one would see three young boys.

All of them looked identical, with black shaggy hair, and beautiful bright blue (or in one case more of a turquoise green) eyes that reminded the individual looking upon them of a stranded beach and the sparkling Caribbean ocean that resided with it.

Yet, digging deeper into the three 'brothers', the curious onlooker would discover that these boys truly did not have much in common other than their appearances and complexions. They were as different as night and day, as opposite as white and black. Yet as similar as dawn and dusk, if you put your mind to work and realize just how alike they really were.

The youngest adopted 'son' of Bruce Wayne was a young boy named Timothy Drake, at the young age of seven. His mother long passed away, he lost his only remaining parent, his father, only a few months prior, and taken under Bruce Wayne's wing officially only a few weeks after the tragic affair.

Then, the middle child of age ten, Jason Todd, with a bad attitude and a hot temper to match, came next. He was the one with eyes were more green then the stunning blue of his adopted brothers. He hadn't always been as bad as people will soon remember him to be, but his story is one almost as legendary as his predecessor.

Lastly, the most important and oldest ward of the Wayne 'family' was fifteen years old. His name was Richard Grayson.

Here, our story begins on a simple chilled sunrise, as Dick Grayson rose from his bed on his very first day of Spring Break.

Dick heard his alarm begin to go off, and he shifted in his sleep with a groan. Pulling his bright blue sheets over his head, covering his messy black hair and burying his face deeper into the never ending depth of his pillows. Wrapping his toes around his warm comforter, he refused to acknowledge that it was time for him to get out of bed.

But the alarm continued to go off, and the noise clanged on inside the room relentlessly.

He refused to get up; this was supposed to be a break wasn't it? Couldn't he sleep in for another hour or so? A stream of dim grey light was casting across the bottom of his bed. Informing him that the day was a cloudy one. More the reason to curl up tighter in the warm sheets and avoid going out to run a few miles in the chilly weather to please his mentor.

A soft knock sounded on his bedroom door, and a firm crisp voice called through the barrier.

"Master Dick, if you don't get up, I'm afraid you'll have to go to training without breakfast and have to explain to Master Bruce why you are kneeling over in hunger later," Alfred, the family butler, called out to him.

Dick weighed his options.

He could stay in bed, sleep in for once, and go without Alfred's excellent cooking before heading towards the gym where he was required to be in for three hours _at least_. Then, see Bruce's face when his stomach gave a rattling irritated growl for not having a single bite of food to process on as he strained his body to the limit. Or he could do as he was told, and avoid the trouble.

The trouble that the batglare would come with.

That settled the dispute, as he finally rolled out of bed. Then ceremoniously fell to the floor, bringing the comforter and the sheets with him in a large heap. The alarm still going off above his head. 7:03, meaning he had fifty-seven more minutes before he had to get inside the gym and warming up for training.

"Don't forget Master Dick, it is your turn to take Ace out for a walk," The butler added, heading back down the hall from waking his brothers, already knowing that the fifteen-year old was tired enough as it is.

Richard moaned on the floor at the reminder, and slammed his hand down on the clock, before finally managing to de-tangle himself from his blankets. Ace was Tim's German Sheppard, and he still wanted to know how he managed to convince Bruce to let him have it. And why Alfred seemed to believe the whole family had to take turns feeding and walking him.

As if the clock was teasing him, it changed to 7:04. Turning around, he glanced about his room.

His very messy room that had just been cleaned up last night.

For a large room that he had, clothes had been pulled from his closet then dumped on the floor. His desk was littered with his papers and sketches. Various items in new spots that were not there last night when he had gone to bed.

Someone had been in his room last night…when he was asleep.

_Jason. _He thought, rolling his eyes. His younger brother didn't like to respect the natural boundaries of personal space. He loved getting on people's nerves. Something that he had been trying to knock out of his ten year old adopted brother; but his temper was one to rival Batman's. He knew from experience, and it was not pretty.

Pulling on a simple blue t-shirt and black jeans, he decided he would change into training clothes after he had took Ace for a quick run around the manor's grounds. Flipping through his door, he headed down the hall doing a series of back flips and cart wheels.

"Do you ever just walk down the hall like a normal person?" Jason asked, his voice grouchy from just waking up, and exiting his room and following his brother. He was an awful morning person, and he heard that Bruce had kept him up last night for stealth training.

"A simple 'good morning' too much for you Jason? Heard you were up late last night," Dick teased, giving his brother the eye as he fell in step with him. He snorted not amused; just as Tim came down to join them.

"Morning Jay, morning Dick!" He announced in cheer, purposely attempting to grate on Jason's nerves, squeezing himself between the two older brothers. Dick laughed at the expression on Jason's face, and ruffled Tim's still messy hair.

"Morning Tim, you guys head down to breakfast, I have to go walk Ace. By the way, either of you two go into my room last night?" The younger boys exchanged confused looks, and Tim piped up quickly.

"No,"

"We aren't that desperate to be around you," Jason added smugly, causing the older to frown. Okay then, now it was suspicious. Possibly Wally? Nah, Wally had never been to Wayne Manor, and he wouldn't have the courage to come alone in the middle of the night. He certainly wouldn't come just to root through his room, he would be too afraid of being caught by Batman.

Maybe it was Alfred or Bruce. The security of the manor was too high to be just an outsider right? He would have to ask later, because if it wasn't them, there may be a problem. Sliding down the banister, ignoring the argument that was beginning between Jason and Tim, he went to get Ace's leash.

ooo

The dog yanked on the chain, dragging Dick along with him. He was tired, and really not up to the antics that the dog was trying to pursue. He was already in the very back part of the manor, and Ace wanted to keep running, dragging the teen even further from the house.

"Will you slow down? It's seven in the morning, I'm still half asleep!" Dick scolded, feeling stupid for telling a dog off.

Ace put his nose to the ground, sniffing something that had caught his attention, before beginning to bark at the tree line that they were walking along. He snarled, gnashing his teeth and tugged against his restraint that Dick suddenly had to use two hands to hold on with.

"Whoa, Ace, what's up?" He asked, scanning for anything that could be strange that might have gotten the hound's attention.

He leaned over to get the dog's point of view, whilst attempting to calm the beast with a single hand that stroked his fur.

Then, the world exploded around him, literally.

Coughing, Dick found smoke rising about his figure, blinding him from seeing anything above three feet in front of him. Ace had disappeared, leaving him to circle around in the fog for an opening. Reaching under his shirt, he assured his utility belt was still in place before grabbing a birdarang.

He turned, looking for his attacker, when the sound of something flying through the air came towards him. As Batman had trained him, he relied on his instincts and dropped to the ground. The object slammed into his chest, and he realized what was shot at him was meant for his leg.

Looking down, he pulled out a small stripped light purple and green dart from his collar bone, and hissed when it stung to do so.

What was this?

The smoke was beginning to clear, and Dick still hadn't seen his attacker. He glanced about his surroundings again, and heard a snap behind his back. Turning just in time, he saw a figure twice his size baring down at him with a long metal pole…a crowbar. Dodging the first blow, he brought his leg up to kick him in the chest.

And a wave of exhaustion hit him full on. His kick ended before it even started, and he dropped to the ground. The world around him spinning, he attempted to blink and come back into focus. He couldn't be done that easily… Batman had taught him how to resist most sedatives that villains gave him.

Clenching his fists as hard as his teeth he tried to will himself back onto his feet, but couldn't get his muscles to respond.

Something collided with the back of his head, most likely the crowbar, and Dick saw his vision go fuzzy as the grass swirled around in his mind. He wasn't even aware of his mind shutting down as he watched the world grow slightly black and white

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**Reviews are the loveliest thing you can leave, its just below. Type and send! They're so USEFUL, I can improve with them :D**

**And Wally is next!**

**Then the Team!**

**Review?**


	2. Part One-2 Jason

**Like I said, I was going to Post Chapter Two pretty quickly, but I may or may not hold on Chapter three. I haven't decided.**

**Well, that was fast, I already got favorites and alerts! It been less than an HOUR! Wow.**

**And by the way, I heard that Young Justice Season 3 was confirmed at Comic Con, anyone confirm?**

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**PART ONE~BEGINNING **

**CHAPTER TWO**

_Half a mile from Wayne Manor  
Gotham City Limits  
March 24__th__ 2013  
7:34 AM_

"You could have killed the boy! That was way too much of a dose, he's lucky to still be breathing!" A low husky voice snarled. There was a shuffling, and then another voice replied.

"You wanted it quick and easy, that much knocked him to the ground before he even knew it was coming. Besides, he's fine, look at him! Breathing and everything!" A finger prodded the teen in the back, and was satisfied when he didn't respond.

"With a concussion and a serious head wound! Next time, don't overcompensate!"

"For the last god damned time, he's fine! Just needs a day and he'll be all shining and ready to be of service,"

A pause.

"What news of the Batman? Does he know that we got the Grayson kid?" A snort.

"Bruce Wayne doesn't even know his kid's missing, Batman isn't that good,"

"Fine, tie him up. We don't want escape attempts,"

Dick Grayson was pulled upwards roughly by the back of his shirt and dragged to the back of the plane. The captor grabbed a roll of wire and yanked the poor kid's arm back so that they wrapped awkwardly above his head and around the neck of the chair. Next he wrapped his thighs together with the tight cutting rope, and then his ankles.

"Heard the kid grew up in the circus, he might be some kind of contortionist, make sure it's tight,"

A leather strap was secured over his mouth, and duct tape to hold it in place. Then, finally a black cloth was placed over his eyes and tied tightly around his head. This time, neither man cared for the head injury as the knot of the cloth rested upon the deep gash that ran through his hairline.

"What exactly is the kid going to do, he won't help, he's what? Thirteen? Fourteen?"

"Wayne's ward is a math genius, good with computers. We get him to sort out the codes and encryptions, were free to continue with our plan,"

"This kid? Why not a trained math engineer or something?"

"Do I look like I'm calling the orders here? They want the Grayson kid! We got'em!"

"What of him when he does the job though? He's a kid,"

"I guess…he'll just get the same fate as the others I suppose. It's not our concern, just don't get emotionally attached and it will all be over,"

"Over," The other voice repeated relieved.

ooo

_Wayne Manor  
Gotham City  
March 24__th__ 2013  
7:43 AM_

"Jason, stop hogging the waffles!" Tim groaned, attempting to stand in his chair so that he could reach across the table and pull the stack of breakfast food towards the middle of the table once more. The older boy reached out and began to pull the plate back with a scowl.

"No you little brat! You're going to soak them all in syrup again! Finish what you have now!" He snapped in response, pointing to the small pile of fruit that sat alone with the food around it gone and eaten.

"I don't have to! Don't be a jerk, Jay!"

"That's _Jason,_ to you!"

"Dick gets to call you Jay!"

"He's a lost cause," Jason responded flinging his fork in the air in exasperation and ignoring the trail of syrup he left on the table for doing so. "But you can still be indoctrinated,"

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" The younger scowled, giving a warning glare to the older ebony.

The two boys continued to argue as the door slammed open and a streak of black and gold flew into the room. It leapt onto the table and toppled the waffle stack and jumped right into the brawl between Tim and Jason. The German Sheppard instantly ended the dispute over waffles and names as the two males stared at the slobbered fluffy delights.

"Ace!" Tim cried, leaping off his chair and grabbing his collar, pulling him back from the food. Jason joined in, pushing the dog back as they shoved and tugged the beast out of the dining room.

"Grayson!" Jason shouted at the top of his lungs, looking around for the older teen. Furiously, he turned and pointed to the cage that rested in the kitchen next to the back door and glared. "Cage, Ace, now,"

The dog's tail went between his legs as he walked into the large cage, and Tim pushed the wire across the door to fasten it shut.

"Why is his leash still on?" Tim asked, looking at the long leather strap that was still hanging off the dog's collar, ever the questioning glance he always had. But Jason ignored his younger adopted brother's detective mode; he turned his attention to the grounds just beyond the glass window.

"Better question, where's Grayson?" He asked, and Tim leaned over, pushing Jason over a little so they could both look out the window. For once, Jason didn't shove back.

"Master Jason, Master Tim? Would you care to explain what just happened in the dining room?" Alfred asked, entering the room, raising his eyebrow at the two boys hovering over by the window. He saw their identical confused and bewildered faces as they looked at each other and back to the butler.

"Ace returned with his leash still on and Dick isn't around," Tim explained quietly, pointing to Ace, who sat whining in his cage and scratching at the door. Jason debated his next words, if he was wrong he could cause unnecessary panic, and he had Tim right next to him to worry about too.

"Alfred, I think we have a Nightwing," The butler straightened, and quickly prodded Tim towards the door, and Jason followed close behind.

"Are you absolutely certain Master Jason?"

"_Yes,_ Alfred!" Even though he really wasn't, _Dick_ could be playing some kind of bad joke.

"What's Nightwing? What's going on?" Tim asked, his eyes widening and his cerulean eyes glanced around at the suddenly serious faces of his brother and his butler. He struggled against the grip of Alfred, but Jason just grabbed his other arm and helped pulling him down the hall.

Alfred walked up to the basement door, and nodded to Jason.

"What are we doing? I have a right to know-hey!" Tim cried out as Jason shoved the youth down the stairs and closely followed him.

"Will you _shut up?_ Just keep going down the stairs, I'm going to check the door," The older boy snapped, and glared as the seven year old continued to go deeper into the room. Once he was sure that Tim wasn't going to turn back around, Jason turned to the door and pressed the small bat signal that was hidden next to the wooden trimming.

A small glowing screen appeared, and Jason began typing quickly, setting up the standard security. He also sent an alert to the bat computer. The screen disappeared, and he ran down the stairs, hitting the lights as he did so.

It was nothing compared to the bat cave, but it was something to protect Tim once Bruce came to get him. _If_ Bruce decided to get him…he better, if he was right in this being an actual Nightwing, he was going to be Robin. It was _his right_.

Code Nightwing, the signal for danger on the premises, specifically kidnapping.

Tim had curled himself up in distress on the black couch in the middle of the room, looking wide eyed at all the weapons on the wall. Tim didn't know that Bruce was Batman, Dick was Robin or that he was training to be Robin when Dick got inducted into the Justice League. And that was only a matter of time to be honest.

Getting Dick to agree to all that had taken him months of convincing.

"Jay…what's going on?" Tim asked, still looking around, this time the computers on the side of the room grabbing his attention. He was in what Jason would normally call his 'Watson' mode to annoy him. He was trying to be the detective and yet everything was right under his nose.

"It's a…" He sought for a word that wouldn't freak him out more, "…drill Tim; we just need to stay down here for a while okay?"

Where was Bruce? He wanted to know what was going on! Had he been wrong? Right?

Yet Tim, still asking away interrupted his train of thought.

"Like a safety drill in school? Where's Dick? Alfred? Bruce? Don't they need to be here too?" Jason stared at him for a second before deciding it would be better to ignore him than to tell him the real situation or get mad. He didn't have time to deal with little siblings right now.

Deciding it would be best to curb Tim's interest, he set the boy on the task of discovering what the room's purpose would serve if they were under attack. While he did so, Jason managed to get away long enough to send a call out to the cave. Bruce had to be down there by now.

"Jason," Bruce finally answered, appearing on the screen dressed as Batman already and frowning at the screen. He noticed idly that he had the cowl down in case Tim had been next o him. "Status?" He questioned.

"Safe, both of us. Shouldn't I be with you? Grayson isn't there…" Trailing, he hoped the end of his sentence was filled by the world's greatest detective. Bruce's eyes narrowed, looking at him with a deeper frown.

"You need to watch Tim; I got everything under control. I got a perimeter run going; we don't need another pair of hands at the moment. Tim needs you," Jason scowled and debated in amusement at punching the screen. There was no way was he going to act babysitter on his first chance of getting to do something in the field for once.

"Send Alfred, over here! Let me get in, I can do _something_," Jason hissed, trying not to clue in to Tim what he was talking about as he saw the youth's interest was finally spiked. His search of the room must have bored him, because he was heading back towards him. Bruce paused, looking over at the butler with a thoughtful expression.

"I need him in the cave to monitor-"

"I'll do it! I need the experience Bruce, please!" he cringed inwardly at his choice of words, and Tim began to push through to see what he was doing. Flicking his fingers on his head, Tim yelped and returned the favor with a punch to his ribs.

_Ouch. Brat!_

_Tim sure has moved past his shy bookish demeanor since he moved here, perhaps that's my fault. _Jason thought with a frown before shaking the idea away.

As if Bruce could tell they were on each other's nerves, he sighed and finally nodded,

"Fine, I'm sending Alfred, be ready,"

The connection cut, and Tim began to tug on Jason's arm.

"Ready for what? What's the cave? Where are _you_ going?"

"I'm going to help Bruce with a job okay? Alfred's going to watch you in here, and you are staying _here. _The cave is just another word for…uh, the kitchen…" He almost rolled his eyes, wow believable there Todd. "Just be patient," Tim blinked and stared at him for a moment and sat down on the floor.

"I want to talk to Dick," He sighed and glared at him, to this, Jason scowled.

"Well, you can't, so deal with it!" Tim's eyes widened and he looked at Jason with a pout, offended. Jason was about to tell him he was way too old to be pulling that crap, when the door opened. Thank the lord that that was the moment Alfred chose to appear.

"Master Jason, you only have a few minutes before security goes back up again. I would suggest you get a move on,"

Jason tore up the stairs, running through the door and slamming it behind him before running to the clock that would lead into the bat cave. The one place he had been dying to be in for ages without Dick over shadowing him. He was Robin till he was found, and it was his chance to prove he was the better Robin.

Changing the time and pulling on the chain that lifted the weight and lowered the pendulum, the entrance to the bat cave appeared, and he entered the main room. He was only in it for a second before Bruce tossed him a Robin uniform and he was forced to go change with a single look.

It looked exactly like Dick's uniform, but with only smaller subtle changes. Instead of black pants, they were a dark red with a black spandex, and his gloves remained black. His domino mask did have the points that Dick had on the tips, but much sharper and more prominent. The R in his insignia was more jagged and pointed, looking like needles instead of Grayson's kindergarten looking R. However, the cape, the vest, and the shoes remained the same, with the familiar gold belt clicked around his waist.

"The last place Dick's belt sent a signal from is towards the northern border. It picked up a mass amount of smoke, and then turned off, and we have not gotten a signal from it since. Since I'm not picking up anything dangerous I will monitor; go find out why he hasn't reset his belt's systems,"

No 'please', no 'be careful', just strictly business. Jason heard from Dick when he complained about patrols that when Bruce was Batman, he didn't waste time for anything. He went straight to the point and got them out in the field as soon as he could get them.

Jason nodded and ran out of the nearest exit of the manor from the cave and found himself walking out of a shed onto his backyard. His glove lit up, and he saw the coordinates had already been sent to him.

Finally, all his training was actually going to be used!

He ran as quickly as he could to the last place Dick was, and kept looking about his surroundings. He had to be sure that whatever nabbed Grayson wasn't going to get him too.

Then he saw it, Grayson's belt laying discarded in the grass, looking as if it had been stepped on by a massive force. Sparks were sent up; something pretty big had to have damaged a bat belt in such a manner. He gingerly knelt over and studied it, careful not to disturb anything. It was amazing the belt's defense mode hadn't gone off, but then again whoever damaged it was not looking to grab it. Probably didn't even know it was _the_ Robin's belt.

Something flashed in the sun purple that caught his eye, and he stepped gingerly over and raised an eyebrow and saw that it was a needle projectile. Only a few feet away from that, the broken remains of a smoke bomb littering the ground.

This was no longer a joke, this was a crime scene.

"What did you find?" Batman asked, causing the young boy to jump at the sound. Right, the bat-communicator in his ear.

"His belt, some projectile of small proportions, and the smoke bomb that probably explains the last readings of the belt," His eyes narrowed when he saw the sun shine on one last detail. Crimson liquid, staining the perfect cut green grass. "B-Bruce? There's also blood,"

"No names on the field Robin. Collect a sample of the blood, remember what I told you. Don't jump to conclusions-"

"I'm not!" He interrupted, and he was sure he got a mild batglare in return for it.

"Don't jump to conclusions, and bring the rest of the evidence into the cave. Don't leave prints, don't change any detail if you can. Then back in here as soon as you can," He nodded, and realized that the connection was already cut and Batman couldn't actually see his head shake.

Doing as he was told, he glance around the area once more, looking for anything else he could have possibly missed, but once he was sure he quickly stashed the two smaller items in his belt while carrying Dick's own gold waistband. Collecting a sample of blood last, he worked as quickly as he could, he returned to the manor as fast as he could manage.

ooo

_West Home  
Keystone City, Kansas  
March 24__th__ 2013  
9:03 AM_

Wallace 'Wally' Rudolph West hated spending his spring breaks with his family away and being forced to stay at home. It wasn't that he couldn't come; he had been more than once invited.

It was just that his family had a dull sense of fun, and that was worse than being left at home.

Sure, he loved getting the whole house to himself, all the food, and no disturbances. But honestly, he got…bored without human interaction every once and a while.

So he did what he did best.

He decided to call up Robin; he was always up at this point in the day. Something about Batman making sure that he was already ready for training and not wasting time on things that were useless. Wally didn't ask for details, Dick would tell him in his own time, he was his best friend.

But that didn't stop Wally from having an opinion, which was that he believed Bats was being a little harsh to him, but Robin never complained. He never yawned in exhaustion, and he never argued. He guessed that was just the life of being a bat.

The phone rang, and rang. By the fifth time he had called, he began to worry. Robin _always_ kept his phone at him at all times, Batman's orders. Plus he had never before failed to answer the phone when he called, Wally was almost sure that he had personalized his ring tone just for him.

Not that he hadn't made sure himself or anything.

He tried a sixth time, real panic beginning to set in. Why wasn't he answering? It was nine o'clock! He should have been up by now right? What if he was injured? Mad at him?

_Click!_

"What?"

"Rob! Thank God-wait who is this?" Wally stumbled over his words as he realized that the voice did not belong to his best friend, and this was his phone. It was much to grouchy to be the voice he had recognized as Batman.

"Stop calling!"

"What have you done?" Wally demanded; his anger grew when there was a moment's pause before the answer came.

"Look, don't call again or I'll trace this number back to you and kill you along with the owner of this mobile. Tell someone, and he gets it worse!" The threat hung in the air for a moment before the line disconnected and it took a moment for Wally to realize they had hung up on him.

He had just threatened his friend's life, and his.

He stood there staring at the phone for several moments, before fury came.

The young speedster began to pace debating what to do. He began to worry even more when he realized he didn't know which form Robin had been kidnapped in. Richard Grayson or Robin Boy Wonder.

He picked up the phone again, his fingers itching over the numbers. He gulped, unsure if this was a good idea.

It was Robin's life…

* * *

**Now it Starts, For Real!**

**Advice?**


	3. Part One-3 Wally

**Heya! How are you all? Thank you so much for all your views!**

* * *

**PART ONE~BEGINNING**

**CHAPTER THREE**

_Bat Cave, under Wayne Manor  
Gotham City  
March 24__th__  
10:34 PM_

"Blood confirmed, match," Batman muttered under his breath, and Jason leaned over his broad shoulder to look closer.

"You don't think they know he's Robin do you?" He asked, toying with a spare birdarang, something he found useful to keep his hands busy when Bruce decided to tune everyone out to do his job. He eyed the computer screen as Bruce continued to work, no pause in his pace.

"Unlikely. For some reason, they want Dick Grayson, not Robin," No further explanations. Jason grit his teeth and growled out.

"Any ideas on _why_?"

"No, we haven't been contacted for a ransom yet," Turning his attention to analyzing the substance that had been discovered on the needle, Jason realized he was being tuned out again.

He hoped this wasn't another ransom situation. He had been on the receiving end of both hostage and worrier ever since Bruce had taken him in off the streets. Thankfully Tim hadn't been with them long enough to have been a part of anything involving such a disaster.

A shrill chirp from the computer screen caused Jason to start. News feed started on suspicious drug dealers somewhere near Star City before it was muted. He watched as Bruce placed a hand to his chin in thought before mumbling something under his breath.

"The Team can have that one…"

The younger boy perked up, the team that Grayson talked about constantly right?

"What about Robin? How can they be a team with a missing member?" He asked, taking this as his opportunity. Batman barely noticed him. Instead he raised an eyebrow, and Jason could see it because his cowl wasn't covering his facial features.

"Every team has to be able to function without a member; it's what makes a team a team. If one of them goes down in the field-"

"-They need to finish the mission at hand. I know, I know, you've said it a million times. But what I was saying was-"

"You want to fill in for Dick's spot on the team in till we have his whole issue sorted out. I'm not sure Jason, you haven't been out on the field at all before today, and I don't think you're quite ready to be out working with your brother's team on this." Jason paused, anger spilling, he slammed his fist into the desk in front of him.

"C'mon, Bruce! How am I going to be Robin one day if you won't let me get some experience?" He snapped, baring his teeth in an angry fashion. He was always told that doing that caused the enemies to be a little worried for his sanity, and that caused fear.

The older Dark Knight continued to frown as he looked at the boy unfazed, not quite sure that this was the best idea.

"We'll see, if the situation gets desperate, I'll send you in. For now, I'm going to need you here at my side," He told the youth.

At least it was a start.

0o0

_Abandoned Building  
Unknown Location  
March 24__th__  
Time sometime early afternoon_

Robin blurrily came to, an aching feeling grew within his body as he attempted to move his stiff arms but finding the movement restricted. This was most certainly _not_ the way he wanted to be spending his first day of spring break. Opening his eyes to observe his state, he nearly let out a groan to find his kidnappers had dealt with that too.

This was desperate. He wasn't kidnapped as Robin, which summed up to totally and utterly screwed. With no ability to fight back, there was no chance of escape on his own. His belt, that he would normally have pressing into his side was absent, lost somewhere in the struggle back in the yard.

"The kid's conscious," A voice announced.

"He's probably sore from the plane ride,"

Plane ride? Damn, he wasn't in Gotham. He wished he could respond, but the stale leather taste forming on his tongue told him it was fruitless.

"Don't interact with him. He's here for one job and that alone, resistance would led to-"He left the threat not finished, so that only his imagination could drive him crazy with the possibilities.

Dick could feel the familiar nauseas feeling that accompanied head wounds forming in the pit of his stomach, and his head felt like it was spinning. Perhaps it would have been if it wasn't secured between his arms that were pulled so uncomfortably behind his back.

"We're landing, you want to carry'em?" The voice that spoke was a rougher tone, indicating a man well over the age of forty. The fifteen year old captive strained his ears for any other interaction that may be had, a third person that had not talked yet. There appeared though only to be the two.

"Whatever," A short smoother voice snapped, a younger man, early thirties maybe? A possible late twenties guy? No way of being certain till he gather more data.

Something moved urgently directly behind him, and he felt his hands drop terrifyingly stiff to his side. Two hands wrapped around his waist, and he was lifted into the air to a shoulder of a taller, stronger man. Six foot four possibly six foot five, quite muscular, most likely here for the grunt work.

Dick's cheek bounced up and down in rhythm with his footsteps, and for the first time he felt the wires around his legs cutting deeper into his circulation.

He wasn't aware of where they were, he was forced to rely on hearing and movement.

A few steps of stairs downwards, a breeze, they were walking out side, a sound of a door opening, and three steps downwards. He grunted as each step caused his head injury to throb harder than it was before.

He was helpless for the time being.

An elevator, going down deeper into the building they had entered. It was short, telling him maybe one or two stories down. During the duration of the ride, he had been thrust mercilessly onto the floor in the corner.

The ebony was dragged out by his shirt, leaving his stomach exposed as the fabric hitched up above his waist line. He regretted his decision on leaving the hoodie and jacket in his room.

A heavy, creaking metal door was thrust open harshly before him, and then the black blindfold was yanked from his head as he tumbled forward into a cement floored cell. The clang of the lock sounded and echoed about the walls, and he was left blinking forcefully at the sudden change of light.

Signs of a concussion.

He turned back to the rusty brown cell door, and gave a snort at the room he was to remain captive in. Pure cement, no bars, no windows, just a small bed hanging off the wall. It was clear; he wasn't supposed to be in here for long. At least he hoped he wouldn't be in the room for more than a few hours.

There were certain necessities missing… well he _hoped_ his captors were mindful enough to think about that.

He turned his attention to himself.

The wires were beginning to draw blood; the dark scarlet drops were soaking his jeans and seeping onto the floor beneath him. Would they leave him here in hopes of dying from blood loss? They would have to make him lose a little more than _that_.

The gag was forcing him to breathe through his nose, which was painful. His face hurt.

Inspecting the wires closer for weakness, he was alarmed when he could not find the source of the knots. They had been welted together, and he didn't even remember that happening.

It worried him that he had been unconscious during the time that the knots had been melted to restrict being untied. Shouldn't he have woken up during the extreme heat near his own body? Robin wasn't even sure if he had burns, he wouldn't be able to tell till the wires were cut away and he could feel his legs again.

He gingerly moved his hands up to his mouth and tugged on the duct tape and leather, before peeling it painfully off his skin. No doubt leaving his face red and raw behind. His hands may have been bound but he could at least allow this one luxury for his head.

Dick leaned against the wall; there was nothing left to do. He couldn't do anything as long as he was here in this situation. Cringing as his head leaned up against the cinder blocks of his walls; he hoped he wouldn't have to wait long.

ooo

_Mount Justice  
Happy Harbor Bay  
March 24__th__  
2:07 PM_

Speedsters don't _mope_.

So that was exactly what Wally doing.

_Not _moping around.

I wasn't that he didn't _want_ to go on the mission that Batman had assigned to the team. It was awesome that they had a gig, after the _weeks_ they had spent waiting for one.

The mission was brief, but all Wally could notice was the missing gap beside him that was _supposed_ to be filled with his best friend.

Kaldur had asked where Robin was, but instead of a straightforward response, the team had gotten the same old excuse every time Robin wasn't around.

'He is needed in Gotham'.

Wally, on the contrary to belief, was _not_ an idiot. He was not aloof, or stupid. He could get from point A to point B fairly easily on his own. Robin had always been one to acknowledge that about him _before_ he discovered the multiple science trophies he had won in his years through school. Something that didn't happen often with the way he commonly portrayed himself.

Yet, earlier that day, he had specifically called the Wayne Manor, something he would have _never _attempted without Robin's word that he would be the one to answer the phone. But when he did, no one answered.

When you live in a house with Batman, no one answering the phone was trouble. With a capital 'T'.

He wasn't brave enough to try again.

He needed to know what was going on. They couldn't _hide_ it from him; he was the only one on the team that knew his identity! He swore never to Google it, and it wasn't like he talked about his life twenty-four seven, but it still counts.

If Robin was in trouble, they shouldn't be doing a stake out near Star City. They should be doing everything they could to help Robin get back to their side.

He was so distracted; he hadn't even realized that the entire team was watching him pace around the living room at a fairly normal speed. It was one of those rare moments in his life he was so focused on his thoughts; he wasn't being annoying, eating or speeding around the mountain. Even Artemis was a little caught off guard with him.

"Do you think he's okay? I'm getting a lot of tense emotions from him," M'gann whispered to Kaldur with a frown. Artemis leaned over the back of the couch to join the conversation, resting her head right between theirs.

"I've never seen him like this; do you think he'll tell us what's wrong if we ask?"

"We can try," Kaldur shrugged, and offered his hands out as if to say 'the floor's all yours'. The blonde archer turned to him with a frown, then brought her head back to look at M'gann. The Martian had the same expression.

Wasn't asking how people are _her_ job?

"Uh, Wally? Everything cool?" She asked.

_Wow, way to go Artemis, you sound so concerned and caring. Let's just go right out and sign the first sheet to become the next guidance councilor._

The speedster jerked from his thoughts and turned his attention to the rest of the team who had moved to stand in the doorway. Even Red Arrow and Superboy were raising eyebrows at the deepening path Wally was creating into the rug. The red-head felt like running the next marathon that happened to be nearby, but he was sure that wouldn't be long enough for him to cool off.

He decided to explode in his frustration instead. It might end faster.

"No! Everything is not _cool!_ Robin's missing!"

The team all exchanged confused looks. They had no idea what he was talking about. It wasn't like Batman had kept Robin from going on missions before because he was needed in Gotham. So why Wally would be freaking out over this one time of Robin staying in Gotham instead of coming along?

"Wally? It's not like Robin doesn't stay in Gotham a lot, you know how that city is like. If he didn't stick with Batman Gotham-"

"Robin may not be in Gotham right now! He isn't _with_ Batman! I called him this morning!"

Now that had their attention. What did Robin say in the phone this morning that would cause so much panic for the speedster?

"What happened?" Superboy asked, getting what everyone wanted to know in two simple words. He had quite the talent for summing up situations in a few short words.

"Well, I was curious this morning if he wanted to hang out. I was a little bored, you know? He keeps his phone practically glued to himself because of Batman, so he never misses a call unless he's really busy or he's ignoring you. But I called several times, and he didn't answer a single time, like he usually does-"

"Wally, just because he didn't answer his phone doesn't mean he's in trouble," Roy interrupted with a good point, but KF shook his head instantly.

"But he did answer the sixth time…or someone answered for him. He threatened me not to call him again, and if I told anyone Robin was going to get it worse then what he already had! I don't know what's going on!" Wally wailed.

M'gann covered her mouth in worry, and the rest of the team exchanged worried glances. Worse was never a good situation to land your team mate.

"But _why_ would Batman keep this from us?"

No one could answer that question, and the team felt their stomach's dropping in worry at the thought of their youngest member being in trouble.

"We have to finish this mission first, and then we will do everything that we can to figure out what is going on with Robin, Wally. So let us focus on the task before us," Kaldur advised, attempting to save the situation.

The speedster didn't want to admit that Kaldur was right, but he was. That was why he was the team leader, not any of them. He took a deep breath, and looked at them with a renewed strength. The faster this mission was done, the sooner he could work on what was more important.

He pushed his way past the team, dead set on that thought. But when they didn't follow, he shouted over his shoulder in irritation.

"Are you coming or what?"

* * *

**Wally is PISSED, so what are you going to do?**

**Review! It helps SOOOOO much!**


	4. Part One-4 Bruce

**PART ONE~BEGINNING**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Batman had left his ward in the cave, following the trail left behind from the small projectile.

Jason had been of course, told nothing but to stay in the cave and be a good little boy. Well, maybe not those _exact_ words but close enough in the young ebony's head.

He needed _action_. He could do something to help, right? He never really had any proclivity to learn the world of techies, thus he was definitely not made to do monitor work for the bat.

He sat down in Batman's chair with a sigh.

Moments passed where there was nothing heard except for the soft rustling of the night time creatures moving about above his head, just out of sight from the dim light of the electronics before him.

He considered messing around on the batmobile, but just as he moved towards the dark knight's most prized ride, an alert was sent in through the main monitor screen.

Security footage, Dick's team.

Gunfire was lighting up the whole storage facility, colorful heroes were bouncing in between crates, dodging desperately from whoever was causing the heavy machine fire. An occasional arrow, flying box or flash of yellow would run behind enemy lines, only to cause little damage to the enemy.

Jason raised an eyebrow, wondering what the point of a covert team was if they were being caught. Something must have happened to cause them to break cover so quickly. Most likely, Jason mused, the fact that there was still working security within the building.

It was at that moment that Jason's eyes slowly began to widen as a small plan hatched within his head. Slowly growing over the crevices of his brain as the details flushed themselves out.

Unless the situation became desperate, that had been Batman's orders. This considered desperate right? Bah, Batman wasn't here to give orders. Which meant he was going to have to deal with the alert.

His eyes did a quick run over the cave looking for some means of transportation, and they fell on something shining in the corner of the room.

Grayson's most prized treasure of being Robin. His motorcycle, the one he loved using when he went on patrol and when he went to the mountain. Something he never let him touch, because that stupid cycle apparently meant more than his birdarangs.

_Oh_, this was going to be great.

At least he was going on an interesting trip, he thought as he tugged the slightly bigger helmet over his dark hair. He was tempted for a short moment to grab Dick's motorcycle jacket for his Robin uniform, but decided it would take too long to find. At least Bruce had made sure he was registered for the zeta beams.

_Recognized Robin02 B09_

He scowled at that, Robin two? Couldn't Bruce be a _little_ more original than that?

The bright lights filled his vision as he was swept away into the device to be dropped in an abandoned ally way on the outskirts of Star City. Swinging a leg over the back of the bike, he brought up the small hologram screen from his glove. According to the map, the team was only about a mile and a half away from his current location in the city.

Kicking the engine into a purr, the bike came to life beneath him as he set his coordinates. Not to boost the _Dick's _ego, but this bike was pretty sweet.

The buildings blurred beside him as he pushed close to a hundred miles per hour, swerving between traffic as he aimed to the back road the facility resided. The feeling of flying so fast through the cars before they could even react to honk was amazing.

The building barely took any time to get to with the speeds he was pushing. It was a good distance from the main city, worn down and crumbling to the ground.

The onslaught inside would probably finally force the city to demolish the building indefinitely.

Screeching the bike to a halt, he dropped it into the cover of the bushes, and discarded the helmet beside it. Slipping in through the front door, he scouted out the territory, remembering everything that Batman had told him to do in a mission.

The cameras were still running.

Time to change that.

Jason easily slipped between the tall stacks of boxes that were scattered about. The sounds of a battle still raging on were heard only a few feet away from his current location. He scanned everything, looking for where the main control room would be. His eyes drifted upwards…_there_.

Shooting a grappling hook up to the small scaffolding above, he flew up to see the whole building beneath him from the balcony he know stood upon. The door to another room was just ahead of him, right where he guessed the operating room resided.

One kick was all he needed to get through the door, knocking it to the floor with a startling crash of force. One guard, isolated, turned in alarm at his arrival.

"Ro-Robin! You weren't -"

Amused that this man was stupid enough to mistake him for his brother, and the fact that he already had him trembling, Jason motioned for him to move aside.

"Sit down, don't move or I'll tie you up," He ordered, and watched as he obeyed. Roughly reaching to the controls, he pulled his own computer from his glove up and smirked as he realized the system was child's play. Hacking in, he immediately turned off every camera and every alarm. Not that turning the alarm would rid the fact they knew they were there.

The guard made his move.

Should have known the guy wasn't going to listen.

Turning around, one fluid motion a birdarang to knock out the guard out cold. Dragging the man out of the room with him, he went to go find the team that was still fighting downstairs.

The team had not fared any better than when he had left the cave. Now that he had a better perspective on the battle than what the camera had previously allowed him, he could seem the main offense.

What was Bane doing outside of Gotham city?

He watched as they managed to stagger him quite a bit…at least they weren't totally useless. He shot another wire into the air and gripped the front of the guard's uniform.

Swinging down, he flew right over the heads of the resident speedster and archer both taking cover behind the same stack of stolen goods together. Ceremoniously dropping the unconscious guard between the two bickering teens, and flipped neatly into the line of fire with a call behind him.

"Watch this one will you?" He cried, as he dropped the guard right in between them behind the crate and swung down directly in front of Bane.

"Robin?!" Someone cried.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up Boy Wonder," Bane gloated, peering down at Jason with a smirk to rival his.

"What? Not enough action in Gotham, Bane?" He shouted, going down into a front flip just as Bane stormed towards him. Bringing his foot up as he flipped, he managed a nice good kick to the face. Now what was Bane's weakness that Batman had told him?

Looks like he was going to have to wing it.

Somersaulting through his legs as Bane reared, Jason leapt to his feet and turned aiming a taser towards the bulked man. The two cords whipped out and connected with his chest, sending 50,000 volts of electricity. From somewhere to his left, a gust of water hosed down bane as he fell to the floor.

Well, what do you know? Those warning labels about electronics in water were pretty serious.

Bane finally fell to the floor defeated, and Jason grinned at his triumph. Batman said he couldn't handle it, and he had just gone proved him wrong.

"Who the hell are you?" The red head asked, speeding uncomfortably close and narrowing his eyes, and Jason thought back to which one this teen was. Must be Kid Flash, he is the only one with bright colors enough to send the circus in town. He raised an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms at the teen with a smirk.

"Well, who the hell do you think I am? Robin obviously," Jason's turquoise eyes rolled heavily behind the thick protective lens of his mask.

"There's more than one Robin?" The green Martian asked, floating slightly above the rest of the team. Her concern was evident; their Robin had never mentioned anything of the sort.

"Depends on how you view it," Jason said, and gave a mock bow. "Nice to see how your _covert_ missions work. But in the mean time Bat's is pretty busy, and is going to need my help. So if you'll-"

"Oh no you don't, _who are you?"_ A blonde green archer demanded standing in his path. The ebony sneered, his defense mechanism for situations such as these.

"I am Robin's backup, how's that sound?"

"Then why are we just now meeting you?" A darker skinned, taller teen spoke up.

"Because I've been training. I only joined on board about a year ago, and when your Robin decides not to be Robin anymore, guess who's filling in for him?" He smirked at them even more, causing the team to shift uncomfortably. "Now, if your done interrogating me, I have important business to attend to," Such as his missing idiot older brother.

"Where's our Robin?" Kid Flash demanded.

"Classified," He snarled, shoving past the speedster and going towards the door of the exit.

Wally moved fast enough that his shoulder bumped into Jason's, knocking him to the side as he scoffed.

"Not to us, so spill kid or-"

"Or what? I just saved your ass," Jason outside by this point with the team hot on his heels bent over to snatch up his helmet. He lifted the bike back up onto its wheels, and kicked the engine.

"Does our Robin know of you?" Red Arrow yelled over the sound of the engine, and Jason turned back to look at the red archer.

"Oh he knows of me alright," He couldn't help it, he let out a laugh, a cold darker laugh then Grayson had. He swerved the bike so that it sent gravel up in the faces of the young justice team. Then shot off into the dark of Star City.

"What a nasty kid," Artemis snapped.

"At least we know now that there really is something bad going on," Kaldur added. He moved forward to place a hand gently on the furious speedster in some hope of comfort.

"Yeah, and that kid knows more than we do, I say we hunt him down and get answers-"

Before anyone on the team could pose an objection, there was a low rumble in the ground.

"What was-"Artemis began, yet her cry was cut short when an ear splitting explosion knocked her back a few steps.

The horizon burst into an arrangement of colors, varying from orange to red to black as the entire Star City erupted into flames.

ooo

Dick was dragged down a long hallway of cells by his arms. The hissing of the ventilation system accompanied the steam filling the air from the plumbing systems…or was that the air conditioning? He wasn't sure, and he didn't like the idea that it could be some type of dangerous gas.

His feet continued to drag underneath him, causing more pain in the areas where the wire cut skin. His head was spinning from the wound caused by the crowbar, and overall he just felt like he went several rounds with the Joker on his own. Not a pleasant feeling for any superhero.

He was also pretty sure at this point he was drugged to the bone, because he struggled to focus his gaze on the white walls around him, and failed each time.

They met the end of the hall, and finally, the younger teen could see his captors face. He had been right in his size and age, he looked about late twenties.

He leaned forward and Dick watched fascinated as a small laser scanned the pupil of his dark brown eye. It must have been confirmed, as the door suddenly unlocked, and he was dragged once more through the heavy door.

The room they entered was large and open spaced, but no windows, no lights exception to three bright lights in the middle of the room, and no one else but him and his companion. Or, that was what he was first led to believe as he watched the chair in front of a huge machine spin around.

"Ah, Mr. Grayson I presume?"

The young hero bit his lip, attentively assessing the area about his person. He was hopeless when he wasn't Robin that was just the persona he had set up for himself.

"Yes, and you are?"

Something hard collided with his ribs, and he gasped at the force as he was sent doubling over in shock. Now _that _hurt.

"Don't injure the boy too much. We still need him conscious and working," Dick looked up, glaring at the dark figure, squinting to see his face better in the lack of light that was provided. But he just couldn't, he was using the shadows to his advantage. There was by no means of telling what he was, or who he was.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here, Dick, is it?"

"Richard," He corrected through his teeth. He was not about to allow this guy play him like that. He refused to be called Dick in that manner by any type of person who meant him harm.

"Oh well, guess no friendliness Richard, just business,"

"_Business_?"

"You honestly didn't think we brought you here for a mere ransom did you?" The look on his face clearly caused the man to laugh as he added amused, "Apparently you did,"

"Then what business?" He asked, attempting to sit up better to remove the awkwardness of being on his knees. But the wires that held his thighs and ankles together didn't budge. It just continued to cut deeper into his already pale and bloody skin.

"You're good with computers I'm guessing, Richard?"

"Yes," He hesitantly replied, lost within the meaning of the conversation.

"Good, because it's your computer expertise that will keep you alive. Though I am a generous being, if you ever feel like dropping out of the deal_, please_ feel free. But there are consequences of doing so," He paused, allowing him to comment, but he didn't say a word.

"Oh well, always worth a try. Let's get this straight, you don't do what's asked of you Richard, and we'll let you off the hook. You'll stay here while we contact your closest family member to come get you, and then… they can have you," Dick scrunched up his nose in disbelief.

"That's it?" He asked, sarcasm dripping into his tone. This time he got a blow to the back, knocking the wind out of him as his head screamed in agony.

"Not at all dear boy, you see, you're our last hope. So we added…a little extra incentive to help sweeten the deal. Every day you delay, another city blows to smithereens. Just like beautiful Star City did just a few moments ago, you should really see the show it gave Richard, just _gorgeous."_

Robin's eyes widened, stunned at the news. _Star City?_ It just…exploded because of him? That couldn't be possible, that required so much TNT power, hours of work, surely _one_ of the Justice League would have stopped it before it actually just…No, it couldn't be, and he's making it up as a scare factor.

"You don't believe me, how naïve of you. You want proof, have a look dear boy, it's all over the news." He turned to the side, and he saw the gigantic machine was truly a gigantic computer like the one in the Cave. He squinted at the screen, and felt his stomach drop sickeningly as he watched young Cat Grant speak.

"_-massive explosion throughout the city. Evacuation are currently in development as onlookers head into the fray to help loved ones. Several of the buildings are down from the aftershock, and many more burning as we speak. Police forces estimate thousands dead, injured and missing-"_The screen changed to another live feed.

"_-Star City panics as multiple rigged explosives are triggered in the downtown area. Evacuations of the most populated areas in city have been ordered in an emergency public statement ten minutes ago. Roads leading into the city are being barricaded, and traffic rerouted into long delays on highway 45. Mr. President will issue a statement-"_

"_-Thousands suffer tonight as the city is ripped to shreds by its own cores. The only question on everyone's mind is, why did this happen? And better yet, why didn't the Justice League stop it from occurring?" _

That last one stung, as Robin finally tore his eyes away from the multiple repeating clips of the city suddenly bursting into flames. He couldn't watch something like that anymore, it was too painful.

Dear God that was the home of Green Arrow, and Red Arrow, Robin realized with a jolt.

It was now a dreaded death trap for all who innocently walked in its streets.

"Next my dear boy is Metropolis. A lovely location, but such an _easy_ target." His captor suddenly spoke up.

"Why do you need me? What does my computer skills have to do anything?"

"Because you're close to here kid, and you got some pretty well known skills that got my employers interest. So what do you say Richard, sound like a deal? Ready to help out?" He finally leaned forward, and Dick caught his face.

"B-Bruce?"

* * *

**And that is where I leave you dear readers. **

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	5. Part One-5 Bruce

PART ONE~THE BEGINNING

CHAPTER FIVE

It was Artemis that had recovered first from the sudden shock of the blow. Her head slowly began to lift as she began to take in the view of the horizon before her. Shakily, the emerald archer got to her feet, standing as a small shadowy silhouette against the burning sky.

She didn't stop staring, even as the other team mates began to rise beside her. Red Arrow was the first to join her side, gazing upon the destruction in equal silence.

"That wasn't… because of us was it?" A small voice asked behind her, none other than M'gann who was rising slowly up from the earth, her blue cape fluttered gently behind her. The Martian was steeling herself for the worst answer, but no one had the heart to answer.

"What happened?" Wally whispered.

"We need to return to the mountain, all of us. This is a matter to big for our hands to take care of. We can't walk into this mess blind. M'gann, can you get the Bioship ready to launch?" Kaldur asked.

M'gann nodded wordlessly, turning; placing her feet back on the gravel she summoned the craft towards their location.

Red Arrow's hand startled Artemis as it came to rest on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," He murmured to her, and she felt her eyes fall. Guilt running through her spine as she realized her team believed her home to reside within the ashes of Star City.

"I am too, you were probably more attached to the city then I ever was," she replied, turning to the older red haired archer. Her thoughts drifted to the other's old mentor, who no doubt was deep within the mess that lay behind. She ducked her head and passed him, not daring to look him straight in the face.

ooo

The trip back to the mountain was so quiet; Artemis almost began a riot with Wally just for some type of normalcy to return. It really didn't feel like the mission had been accomplished at all. They broke cover, they had to enlist help from a younger still training hero to take down a simple drug dealer and the entire city they were trying to help blew up in their faces. Literally.

Yet to their surprise they did not find commotion and determined heroes infiltrating their cave upon their return demanding answers.

Instead, a single solitary figure stood patiently in the briefing room as each one of the members filed off the ship.

"Good Job,"

Those were the last two words that the team was expecting to come from the Dark Knight, and each head started up as they registered the meaning.

"I would have preferred it to be a lot more covert then it was, and you owe Robin your lives…But overall Bane is back in Arkham and his smuggled containers are now in custody of the authorities," The team glanced around up and finally took note of the slightly altered Robin uniform and sulking face behind Batman's cape.

Artemis felt a sour taste in her mouth about the idea of actually thanking the Robin for his intrusion on the team's mission, helpful or not. Yet, thankfully, Kaldur took the responsibility for the team by stepping forward and voicing their grudging grateful response to the new _sidekick_.

"Thank you, you were quite impressive on the field. You will make a great hero one day,"

Artemis scowled at those words. _Give him another three inches and a more graceful tongue and he might have a chance at being that great hero._

The team fell to silence again, as Batman looked over them with a small frown.

"Star City is under the management of the Justice League, the results and aftermath of your mission provided no lasting effects on the city, thus the explosion you witnessed was not a reaction to what you have done," That wasn't really enough news to ease their hearts.

"What about Robin?" Suddenly Wally spoke up, meeting Batman's gaze, gulping visibly in discomfort.

"What about him?" The Bat's voice grew darker and more threatening as he addressed the speedster, a clear indication to tread lightly, and only ever used in situations when he was getting towards dangerous. The younger Robin was seen raising an eyebrow towards his mentor, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Well…we just…we were…" He fumbled over his words.

"If the situation calls for your help Wallace, then you will be involved. In the mean time, the team's focus is to remain on perfecting techniques that will aid you on further missions. Robin will return to you in a few days time," With that, Batman and the other Robin turned with a swing of their dark colored capes, leaving the Young Justice on their own.

It was when they were out of ear shot did the menacing figure drop his act.

"I told you not to get involved with the team Jason," Batman said lowly as the zeta beam announced their departure. Inside the Batman frowned at the disobeyed order, but the Bruce inside him was proud to see how easily the younger boy had wrapped up the disaster and brought the mission back from ruin.

Jason huffed, and ignored him as they entered the cave once again. The ruined motorcycle still lay to the side of the entrance, where it appeared Batman was attempting to ignore the mess for now. That or leave him for the mercy of Dick Grayson.

"Go back to Tim, I want to run some background checks on possible matches of our finger print, and finalize the data on the blood sample, it appears some other DNA has been mixed in,"

Jason gritted his teeth for two reasons.

"I thought you had those all examined, and you were following a lead! That's why you left me _alone_, and _why_ do I have to babysit him, can't Alfred handle him?" Jason toyed with the edge of his batarang, making slow and deliberate cuts into the rock formation beside him.

"I made a trip to Arkham to ask one of its inmates on the design of the smoke bomb whilst the computer checked data bases for a match. The results are taking time, so the most likely conclusion is we're dealing with something new," Bruce responded, pulling his cowl off so he could work.

Jason walked over to the evidence table, delaying his inevitable journey from the cave; he examined the small little capsule that had caused the sudden cloud of grey to appear near the last location of his older brother. Purple and green…

"You think the Joker would do something like this?" He asked suddenly, walking up behind the large chair that his guardian rested in. He appeared to be searching through a series of DNA samples that all looked identical, and currently spinning slowly for a 3D effect.

"Not his style, but the design was similar enough. I've looked into it, I'm not going to let anything slip past." Jason searched the rest of the table, before another question formed in his head.

"What about the liquid in the dart? Dick doesn't go down in any fight that easily," He hated to admit it, but it was the truth. Dick had been at this Robin business longer than he had been living in Wayne Manor.

"A highly dangerous chemical combination that causes the muscles to paralyze, and instantly shuts the brain down to a coma state. If given too much the subject instantly dies," Jason's eyebrow rose.

"But judging by your casual tone that's not the case for Dickie here?"

"Dick's situation and training has prepared him for even the most deadly doses. It appears he got off lucky this time, even if the entire needle had been covered in the poison and the whole thing stuck inside his body, it wouldn't have been lethal to his trained body. But it would work quite effectively after a few seconds,"

"Do you think they would have tried to kill him?" He asked curiously, the bad guys had gotten Richard Grayson, not Robin. They wouldn't have known that he had built up a resistance to this type of drugging system.

"What would be the point? They wanted him alive. What use is he dead?" Batman scowled at the screen.

"Any other leads?"

"Jason-"The boy could read his expression instantly, and stiffened; cutting him off.

"Treat me like Robin!" He snapped. He watched as the dark knight stared at him with a skeptical look, thinking about his words before finally giving a small nod of consent.

"Then act like a Robin,"

The silence that followed the statement stung, but Jason nodded nonetheless.

"The dart's manufacture was hard to locate, but I finally got a match. Lex Corp has been working with this design in secret for some time now. It was a proto-type, meaning Luther probably didn't hand it over willingly to whoever was in need of it,"

"So he isn't involved? That's a first,"

"I didn't say that, I just said the possibility of him handing it over is slim to none. The evidence stands that he is a possible supplier, not our target. Lying under the radar, he can avoid the business in court if he encrypts the files and make them near nonexistent,"

Jason nodded, looking at the screen where the documents of the file were displayed. The thing looked worth a fortune, especially because it was one of a kind.

"As for the drug itself, there's nothing related to Lex's company that matches the sample I took. Another possible ally in the background… homemade guessing on its ingredients and potency. A dead-end otherwise,"

"The smoke bomb?" He questioned.

"Another strange design, again not related to any other lead we have. Tech that rivals that of what we use on a regular basis. However, going through records, I suspect it may be related to the technology enhanced by Penguin's deals,"

"But, Penguin doesn't deal with those types of weapons, well, unless you count his umbrella, but I don't. He's the massive guns dealer type of guy,"

"However it's the same type of design as his gaseous neurotoxins from his umbrella. Yet having the intelligence to rival the weapons we contain is beyond his skill," Batman pondered, resting his head on his folded hands as he appeared to study the results again.

"It doesn't add up, do you think there's someone else behind the scenes directing?"

Batman typed a few keys, and a new file appeared, a young man in his early twenties appeared. His hair short and neatly cut, with a tan skin tone. He appeared to be quite tall, and most certainly foreign. The name flashed up at the top of the screen, Cosmin Haralamb.

"Our fingerprint match from the capsule, Romanian, but nothing in his records to suggest an involvement in crime," That wasn't what caught Jason's attention.

"Bruce, he's from the same country that Grayson was born in. Romania," He looked back and forth from the screen to his guardian confused. Was it a mere coincidence?

"I'm wondering if the prints were stolen, used as a distraction maneuver…but why him?"

"So what's the plan?" Jason asked, already aware that Batman had one. He always had a plan.

"We're going to Metropolis, we're going to see what Lex Luther is willing to say," He responded. Jason perked up, his smile finally turning into a real one. Two big cities in one night? This he could get used to.

ooo

Dick Grayson's stared into the face of Bruce Wayne, frozen in an internal argument that only he could hear. He gulped, and watched as the menacing figure stood and began to make his way towards him.

Trick or Treason?

"Dear Richard, I do believe you will want to do what I tell you in time. But the night is late; perhaps it is time I left you with your thoughts. Take him back," He waved his hand dismissively, uninterested, and turned to face the monitors again.

Still in shock, Robin felt the younger man grasp him by his arm and drag him towards the door.

"Wait! What-? WHO ARE YOU?"

Struggling he looked up to the brute who had him in his custody. He was dragged back through the cemented halls, his wounds reopening as he felt the pressure in the wires dig deeper towards his veins.

He lamely stared at the small trail of blood beginning to form in front of him on the floor as his arms pulled him backwards.

He wasn't sure of what to make of the situation. Bruce wasn't a criminal, so who was the man he had encountered in that room?

His captor thrust him into a separate room, far from the original cell he had been forced into. This time he remained on the floor for a good while before he dared to glance up again, the threat of throwing up was looming to dangerously close.

His eyes traveled upwards to see what his surroundings were. The sharp intake of breath he had was only more painful to his ribs as he saw what he had been placed into.

Several sets of eyes landed on him. Six men, smartly dressed doctors and laboratory assistants, all looking worse for the wear.

"Dear God, a boy now," One whispered, as the other began walking towards him. Robin narrowed his eyes in the best glare he could muster, and the man paused in the walk towards him.

"Easy kid, just let us help you out. You're going to lose a lot of blood if you don't let us help," He said motioning to the wires, and then extracted a small nail from his pocket. Dick did his best to stare suspiciously at him, but made no move to speak or acknowledge him further.

The man took this as his cue and stepped closer before kneeling down in front of him and rubbing the nail against the wires. A dull sound of the metal scratching at his bonds filled the room.

"Why are you helping me?" He snapped looking at him with a frown. The scientist, he was guessing, looked up tiredly.

"You're one of us now, a slave. Boy, whatever you do, do not let his promise of being sent home fool you like it did to us," He motioned to the other five men, all of which were sporting serious injuries.

"What will he really do?" He asked in a low voice.

"Son… you don't wish to hear-"

"I do!" He snapped, looking at him with a snarl.

"Scarecrow, from Gotham city. He was hired to strap test his experiments on those who refused…tomorrow, we all go together," He said looking at the other men as they all lowered their heads in sorrow.

Dick felt his stomach drop. He wasn't the first choice for whatever project was going on, he was the _last _one. That's why the stakes went up…the threat of bombing the cities…

Now Grayson realized what he was in for.

And he resigned to his fate.

* * *

**And that's Five!**

**I'm going to start updating on weekends since I'm back to my classes once again...merr.**

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